Safety device



May 9, 1944. G. c. MA1-SON `2,348,489

SAFETY DEVICES Filed Feb. e, `1943 2 sheets-shea 1 5y AW' Afro/Mfr May '9, 1944- G. c. MA'rsoN SAFETY .DEVICES Filed Feb. 6,1945

Patented May 9, 1944 SAFETY DEVICE George C. Matson, Brookfield, Ill., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February s, 1943, serial No. 475,033

(c1. vi-cos) 9 Claims.

This invention relates to safety devices and more particularly to machine guarding devices.

In many machine operations it may be desirable that guards be provided which wil1 protect the machine operator from the exposed moving parts of the machine. In some cases, the guards are attached directly to the die assemblies, for example, in punch presses, it issometimes the practice to provide each of the individual tool assemblies with a guard. While this practice is satisfactory from the point of view of safety, it may require a special design of guard for each assembly and, thus, increase the cost of' the apparatus considerably. K,

v, An object of the present invention is to provide an efficient and effective universal machine guarding device.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, a machine guard may be provided comprising a three-sided enclosure of telescoping rods and tubes adapted to be attached to a machine and adjustable to screen die assemblies of varying dimensions.

' Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a punch press having a guard constructed in accordance with the present invention attached thereto;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same;

Fig. 3 isan enlarged horizontal section along the line 3--3 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical section along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to Fig. 1, a part of a punch press is illustrated comprising a ram II) vertically mounted and slidable between upright frame members II and I2; a punch I3 is attached to the lower end of the ram I and cooperates with a fixed die I4 which is, in turn, mounted on a fixed bed I5 integrally formed With the frame members Il and I2. As may be seen in Fig. 2, the upright members I I and I2 are recessed at I6 to facilitate insertion of the stock and. operation of the press. This press design is sometimes referred to as the C type.

While this invention will be described in connection with providing a guard for a press of this design, it will be understood that this is merely illustrative of one form of guard embodying the present invention.

In order to provide an adjustable mounting for the guard, a pair of L-shaped brackets having vertical/arms 20 and horizontal arms 2| xed perpendicularly to the lower ends of the vertical arms is attached to the front of the frame members II and I2 by bolts I9, the bolts extending through a slot 22 formed through each ofthe arms 20. These brackets are substantially square in cross section and heavy enough to support the weight of the guard without yielding,

A pair of horizontally positioned supporting members 23 are slidably mounted on the horizontal arms 2| of these brackets, and extend rearwardly perpendicularly to these arms 2 I. A pair of wing nuts 24 are threaded into the ends of the supporting members, 'which are enlarged and provided with squared apertures to receive the square cross-section arms 2| of the brackets. These nuts, when tightened, lock the members 23 to the arms 2|. A pair of downwardly extending bars 25 are attached perpendicularly to the rearwardly extending ends of the supporting members 23 and are mounted in a vertical plane, as shown in Fig.

2, to serve as a support for a plurality of horizontally positioned tubes or rods 28, which are fixed perpendicularly to the bars 25, as shown. A corresponding number of tubes or sleeves 29 are mounted on supporting bars 30 which are parallel to the bars 25. These sleeves 29 extend perpendicularly to the bars 30 to receive the rods or tubes 28 which are suiciently smaller in diameter than the interior diameter of tubes or sleeves 29 to provide a sliding t.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the areas adjacent the sides of the punch and die assembly are thus screened by the cooperating rods 2B and sleeves 29, and that the rods and sleeves are laterally adjustable with respect to each other to adapted the screen to punch and die assemblies of greater or less width. A pair Aof clamps 3| and associated wing nuts 32 are xed to one of the tubes 29 oneach side of the screen and engage the rod within the tube to lock the rods to the tubes when the desired width of the side screen has been obtained by adjusting the rods and tubes together or apart, as may be required.

The front area of the press is guarded by a second set of cooperating horizontal rods and sleeves 35 and 36, respectively. The rods 35 may be fixed perpendicularly, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, to one of the supporting bars 30 while the other bar 30 supports the sleeves 36. Lateral adjustment of the side screens with respect to each other will correspondingly alter the width of the front screen formed by the cooperating rods and sleeves 35 and 36, which are slidable one within the other. Tightening the two wing nuts 24 on the horizontal bracket arms 2l will lock the side screens in lateral position and accordingly maintain the front screen and side screens in their adjusted positions.

A horizontal bar 40 is mounted perpendicularly to each bar 30 at a point near its lower end and a plurality of horizontal rods 4I extend perpendicularly to the bar 40 through suitably formed apertures in each bar 40. 'I'he inner ends of the rods 4I are, in turn, attached to a horizontally positioned bar 42, which is mounted substantially parallel to the bar 40. 1A wing nut 43 and asso.- ciated clamp 44, Xed to each of the aperturedl supporting bars 40, are provided to lock the tubes or rods 4l in position with respect to the supporting bar 4Q. Thus the rods M are adjustab-le as a unit and form a horizontal screen on either' side of the machine.

In order to permit the operator to observe the operation of the punch press and at the same time to protect him from possible injury, a

window 45.mounted on vertically positioned armsV 46 is provided. These arms 46 are attached to the front ends of the horizontal'bars 52v and eX- tend downwardlyasufhcient distance to provide a. support. for a window of the desired size. This window comprises, as shown in lig. 3, a single Y sheet of transparent, fracture resistant material,

xedto one of the verticalfarmsll, and slidable in channeledmembers: 4l, xed to tbe other of the arms 46;

In order to screen Ithe lowerl portion of the punch and; die assembly, anumber of sleevesv or tubes 5,0 are perpendicularly mounted on. the Verticalarms 46; andiextend rearwardly therefrom to receive cooperating rods or tubes 5i, slidable therein. These rods. 515 are in turn mounted on vertical' downwardly extending bars 52., which are iixed' tothe rear ends of' the barsr 42; The rods 5I extendin al plane substantially parallel to the armsA'S.

In the operation ofthis apparatus, after the required adjustments` have been' made to screen the tools fromY anoperator, astrip 55 of stock material may be fedtof the punch and diel assembly through one ofthe apertures in thesmalllowerv` screensV comprisingthe cooperating sleeves-r Yof varyingtwidth byv loosening the wing nutsA 24 and Win-gnuts 43Y and` moving' the side screens together or'apart', thev front screen and window adjusting-itself accordingly, and' that it is adaptable to die assemblies of' varying breadth by looseningl the wing nuts 32andmoving the front Iscreen andwindow toward or awayfrom the die assembly as necessary. Thus, insteadiof'requiring differently `designed and` shaped guards for each type of, machine and for each die assembly, a single standard guard design constructed as described herein may be employed.

In additionbecause ofthe particular design of this guardand because of.' its easy adjustability, the screens may bev positioned very close to the particular die assembly being used with a machine; Thisfeature isof particular. importance where athinstrip of stock is used because, after the punching.- operation, the strip has little strength and if the strip-isrequired to bridge a relatively long distance. from. one side of the guard to the other, it is-veryV likely tov break. In

thefdpresent-apparatus, because they screens may*A 75,-

be positioned immediately adjacent the die assembly, in most cases this difficulty is largely obviated.

What is claimed is:

1. A safety guard for a machine comprising a plurality of screens, one pair of screens being mounted and spaced in substantially parallel relationship, a third screen mounted on and between said pair of screens and attached to one end of each of said pair of screens, said screens cooperating to form a multi-sided enclosure, a plurality of substantially parallel cooperating sleeves and rods forming said screens, said sleeves receiving said rods, the space between said pair of screens beingv adjustable, said third screen being. extensible and contractible as the spacing between said pair of screens is altered, said pair of screens also being extensible and contractible to adapt them to machines of varying dimensions, and means for mounting said screens on a machine.

2. A` guard for a machine comprising a front screen, a plurality of relatively adjustableY elongated membersfor-ming said screen, the width of said screen being adjustable to the width of said machine, a pair of side screens of similar construction associated with said screen and mountedv substantialiy at right angles to the ends thereof, said side screens cooperating withl said front screen to form amulti-sided enclosure about aY portion of said machine, a pair of screens mounted at substantially right angles to said` aforementioned sideV screens at the lower ends thereof, a third pair of spaced screens associated with said second pair, said third pair of screens extending in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of said side screens and at substantially angles` to said first pair of screens, to form. a.

three-sidedY enclosure, `a plurality ofv elongated members fixed to said side screens and' extending. perpendicularly thereto, a second pair ofscreens attached at right angles to the side. screens,.and a window mounted between said second.` pair of screens, the width of saidwindow. being adjustable as the spacing` between said pair orv side screens is altered.

4'. A machine guard comprising a pair of` spaced, substantially parallel screens, the width` of said.' screens being adjustable, and athird screen atri'ght angles to said screens and supported thereby, the width ofsaidA third screen being adjusted as the spacing between said pairl of= screens is altered. f

5. A machine guard comprising aV pair of` spaced substantiallyparallel screens,y the width of said screens being adjustable, a second pair of screens mounted at substantially right anglesy to the baseoi the first pair of screens,r and. a third pair of.l screensmounted at substantially first pair. l

6. A* guard for aA machine comprising; af pair ofspaced screens, means for supportingv said? screens on: amachine-inJ-substantially parallelv right angles tosaid secondpair of: screens and` extending in aplane substantially paralleltto said planes, and an adjustable third screen positioned between said screens and supported thereby, the width of said third screen being adjusted by moving said supporting screens.

'7. A machine guard comprising` a pair of spaced substantially parallel screens, the width of said screens being adjustable, a second pair of screens mounted at substantially right angles to the base of the rst pair of screens, a third pair of screens mounted at substantially right angles to said second pair of screens and extending in a plane substantially parallel to said first pair, and a window supported by said third pair of screens, the width of said window being adjusted as the spacing between said rst pair of screens is altered.

8. A machine guard including a screen, the width of said screen being adjustable, a second screen mounted at one end of said rst screen and extending in a plane substantially perpendicular to said first screen, said screen being adjustable in size in its plane With respect to the supporting screen, and a third screen mounted at substantially right angles to one end of said second screen and extending in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of said rst screen, the spacing between the rst and third screens being adjusted by adjusting the effective width of said second screen.

9. A machine guard comprising a pair of spaced, substantially parallel screens, the width of said screens being adjustable, a second pair of screens mounted at substantially right angles to the base of said rst pair of screens, a third pair of screens mounted at substantially right angles to said second pair of screens and extending in a plane substantially parallel to said rst pair, an adjustable screen mounted between said irst pair of screens, the width of said screen being adjustable as the spacing between said rst pair of screens is adjusted, and a Window, the width of which is adjustable, mounted between said third pair ofrscreens and substantially parallel to the screen mounted between said first psi? of screens, the width of said window being adjustable as the spacing between said third pair of screens is adjusted.

GEORGE C. MATSON. 

